“Yes, ma’am.”
Ma’am? What the fuck is that bullshit about?
I put it to the back of my head. It’s not exactly something I want to decode right now, hell, ever. When men start sucking up, it’s either because they want to fuck you or because they want a false sense of trust, and neither of those options are great.
Moving on, I glance at Carver, needing to keep myself focused. “I am sure by now many of you would have noticed both Cruz Danforth and Grayson Beckett in the technology room—”
“They don’t have authorization to be down there,” Sebastian Whitman calls out, cutting me off.
My gaze snaps to his. “They do now,” I spit, not liking his tone one bit. “They have been given my authority to use Dynasty technology to search and locate the many victims that were listed in Sam Delacourt’s ledger. They will be putting in the hours to find them and using our resources to perform rescue missions to save them and bring them back home to their families where they belong.”
Mr. Danforth shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Elodie. I understand that this means a great deal to you considering your own experiences, and I really do wish that there was a way that we could all help. It is a great cause and I stand by that mentality, but Dynasty doesn’t operate like that. We cannot approve that reckless use of our resources. What comes next? Where does it end? Are we busting local teen drug dealers and breaking up wild parties with noise complaints? We have police and FBI for a reason. Let them do their job and we will do ours.”
I lean back in my seat, watching Cruz’s father, and only now realize just how far the apple fell from the tree. “I’m sorry,” I say, not looking away for even a second. “I wasn’t looking for approval. Filling you in on our plans was a courtesy, not a question. Dynasty is going to be on the right side of history, and I suggest that you all get on board with that.”
His eyes narrow, and it’s more than clear that he doesn’t approve of my authority on this, but he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, nor is he willing to speak up about it again and risk ending up on my shit list. After all, people on my shit list have a way of ending up in shallow graves.
Harlen Beckett shifts in his seat. “Was that all for tonight?”
I let out a sigh. I had wanted to discuss the empty seats at the table and what’s going to happen to them, but after everything else that’s gone down today, I just want to go and get back in my bed … or at least one of the guys’ beds seeing as though my room needs to be torched after Sara destroyed it.
With the eyes of every man in the room on me, I nod. “Yes, that is all,” I tell them. “We will schedule another meeting once we know a little more on the Paris situation. You may all be excused.”
And just like that, the meeting is over and the heads of Dynasty quickly make their way out of the room, leaving me with King and Carver, both staring at me with a heaviness that quickly weighs down on my shoulders.
I’ve played the role of judge and jury tonight and now all that’s left is to become the executioner.
CHAPTER 24
Brynn Harding’s hand slaps across her husband’s face with such ferocity that his head whips back under the pressure. She spits at his feet and growls, her heart breaking before my eyes. “Don’t be fooled, you sick son of a bitch. I will not mourn you, I will spit on your lonely grave, and my children will never remember your name. You’re nothing to me, not anymore. It was all a lie. Fifteen years of marriage and this is how you repay me.”
“Brynn—”
“Don’t,” she growls, holding her hand up to cut him off. “Everything we worked for, everything we built is all gone. Dynasty owns me, my home, our money. It’s all theirs, and without you as the head of our family, I have nothing. You’ve destroyed me. Our children won’t be able to afford to eat, won’t have clothes on their backs. You did this. You took from me and you stole from your children. I hate you, Michael Harding, and I hope you rot in the deepest pits of hell.”
“Dynasty will provide for you. The children will be okay. You can’t run. You have to stay and keep fighting for what we believe in. You’re all I’ve got in this world. Stand with Paris,” Michael urges her. “She will be generous to my family for everything I have done for her.”
Brynn’s eyes bug out of her head, horrified by the suggestion of having anything to do with her husband’s mistress. “Do you honestly think I can stay here after what you have done? You have disgraced my name. You have embarrassed me. What am I supposed to do now?”